A study released in Canada last week concluded that young players who are taught to give and take hits at age 9, as happens in Ontario, are more likely to sustain serious injuries in later years than those who are introduced to body-checking at 14, as is the case in Quebec.

Crosby grew up in Nova Scotia, where the rules are similar to those in Quebec, and endorsed the concept of introducing contact at a later age.

"I was in the category of learning to check a lot later," he said. "From that experience, it was fine with me. Being a young kid, you want to grow up and have fun playing the game.

"When you're 9 years old, sometimes it's tough, when you're not one of the biggest guys, to worry about having a guy coming to hit you instead of just being able to play.

"I'm sure there's a time when it's the right time [to introduce checking], but it's really hard to tell."

There's no word on whether the study determined what percentage of young players who never learned to check ended up being drafted by the Penguins.